Bikes, Trikes, and Unicycles
by YuugisGirl
Summary: All Varon wants to do is make Mai smile...so...he takes her to the carnival! Conquestshipping. One-shot. Contest fic


A/N: Okay this is my entry for the fifth round of Comperfreak101's Yugioh contest. It's Conquetshipping! That means MaixVaron. I haven't seen the Doma arc. in like forever, plus I only saw the 4kids version so forgive me if Varon is a little OOC. This story takes place in an AU I guess. It's more of what Varon could have done with Mai instead of taking her to Dartz. Written in about five second so…yeah…

Note: Varon is wearing regular clothes because his usual attire is practically armor and well…I don't _like_ the armor! Oh and umm…I've never actually _ridden_ a motorcycle or a unicycle so…forgive my ignorance as to how they function.

Bikes, Trikes, and Unicycles

Tears. They soaked into the back of Varon's jacket, slipping over the leather and sliding off onto the whirling concrete below. Mai was crying. It seemed, to Varon, the only thing she did now a days, apart from eat and sleep, and she would even forgo those actions often.

From what he could see of the girl through her reflection in his side mirror, she looked a real mess. Once immaculate blonde curls hung, wet and limp, around a gaunt and almost sunken face. Mai's violet eyes were rimmed crimson from the vigor of her sobs, and as for her traditional purple shirt and rather revealing top…well…they'd definitely seen better days. The brunet biker felt and swell of pity and an urge to gentle squeeze one of the pale hands that was draped securely around his waist, but thought better of it. Mai was not one for physical comfort.

Varon sighed, tearing his brown eyes away from the depressing sight and spurring his motorcycle onwards, as if the rushing winds around them would lift Mai's dismal countenance and make her the fiery woman he knew she truly was. One more glance at the mirror told him otherwise, but one could dream couldn't they?

The roadside scenery flashed by in an indiscernible blur, the occasional house or restaurant sign catching his eye for the briefest of moments, before vanishing back into the vortex of meshed colors. Varon turned off the main paved road when he caught sight of the dirt path to the left.

The boy's heart rate accelerated as he noticed the edges of the earthy road begin to fill with parked cars, a sign that their destination was within reach. At last he spotted their goal. A cluster of tents sprung out from the grassy ground around them, their canopies reaching gallantly up towards the sky, pennant shaped flags snapping proudly in the wind.

Varon pulled back on the handlebars; turning abruptly into a spot crammed between to large SUV's that no other vehicle would manage to squeeze into. As the Australian wrenched the key from the ignition, the bike's guttural rumbling died away to be replaced by an onslaught of excited voices and the muted sound of distance, cheery music.

The brunet swung both jean clad legs from the motorcycle and descended almost gracefully upon the grassy floor. His large hands reached up and caught Mai around the waist, lifting her gently from the seat as Varon noticed her form teeter ominously.

"We're here." He told her brightly, offering up a small smile that was returned with a blank and distance stare. The boy sighed, shaking his brown spikes and sliding one arm around the small of Mai's back, afraid that she might not have the will to stand on her own.

The blonde's weight collapsed against him the moment his elbow met her hip. The Australian grunted and, after several moments, managed to make the miserable girl stand erect, well…as erect as a person who had given up all will to survive _could _stand.

"I brought you to the carnival." Varon stated between pants as he all but dragged Mai's limp form up the dirt path, following the thronging crowd of squawking children and bickering spouses.

Mai didn't say anything. Varon could not see any sign that the blonde had even recognized that he was speaking to her.

"Mai?" he prodded, hoping for a response. Nothing.

Varon let out a depressed and slightly irritated breath, glad, at least, to see that they had reached the entrance way to the fairgrounds.

A ginger haired teenager in a red and white striped outfit greeted them with lazy indifference. "Welcome to Carry's Carnival." She drawled, popping her gum between each sentence. "How may I help you?"

"Two adult tickets please." Varon said, gesturing between Mai and himself. The girl gave them a bored look before punching in some numbers into the ancient looking machine before her.

"That'll be ten dollars." She clucked out between each pop of her gum. Varon laid the money upon the counter between them; the girl replaced the currency with to crumpled pieces of bright blue paper, the words 'ADULT TICKET' scrawled across them in magic marker. "Hope you enjoy yourselves." She popped carelessly, turning to the family of four that stood behind them. "How may I help you?"

Varon pulled Mai past the ticket station and into the crowded entrance way of the festival. The air was filled with the heady aroma of funnel cake and caramel corn, mingled with the lingering stench of perspiration. Children laughed and whined to their red faced parents who complained constantly about the relentless heat. Varon instantly regretted his warm clothing. Vendors stood in all corners, shouted bargains at the passersby and buoyant music drifted upon Varon's ears from some unknown source.

The boy turned his brown eyes on his companion, hoping for some kind of reaction to their surroundings. Mai's amethyst orbs were dark and distant.

Varon shook his head and growled in frustration. What did it take to get the girl to smile?! He laced his fingers between her own and dragged the dazed blonde behind him, resolute in trying to wring some kind of emotion from her, determined to take her mind away from her abandoning friends…her miserable life…

* * *

An hour and a half later the couple stumbled into a large tent, Varon clutching onto two cotton candy wands and Mai, whose hand was still clutched within his own. Nothing worked on this girl! NOTHING! She didn't grin whenever Varon had bought her popcorn! She didn't chuckle or cheer as they rode down the drop of the giant slide ride! Her mouth didn't twitch one bit at the annoying little boy who'd tripped over his own shoelace and landed upon the ice cream cone he'd spent the last fifteen minutes whining to his mother for! Not a laugh or a frown…not the smallest trace of a smile…wasn't the carnival supposed to make people happy?!

Varon grimaced as he turned his attention away from his aggravating thoughts and to the already overflowing bleachers the tent housed. 'This must be some attraction.' He mused, pushing through the mass of bodies in search of a suitable seating place. He spotted one just along the front row and hurried towards it, shocked that it hadn't already been snatched up by some other audience member.

Pulling Mai down next to him, Varon turned towards the center arena. The florescent lights strung up around the tent's canopy dimmed and a hush fell of the previously restless crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." The voiced boomed from the darkness at the center of the ring. "Presenting… Carry's Carnies!" with a roar of approval from the crowd, the light resumed their usual brightness and flooded the stadium and illuminating the colorful figures that poured out from the back entrance to the tent. An assortment of vibrant clowns cart wheeled or otherwise teetered in on unicycles and tricycles, acrobats glided gracefully from behind them and fire eaters twirled their blazing sticks at the end of the procession.

Varon straightened up, taken in by the wild performance as the acrobats began to swing from perches on high, fire eaters danced and doused their flames and the clowns whirled about in a feverous frenzy. One of the makeup covered comedians flipped towards them, sprayed a nearby man in the face with a squirting flower upon his polka dotted suit and placed a balloon crown atop Mai's golden tresses.

Varon stared wide eyed and grinning like an idiot as the girl perked up slightly, placing a thin hand on the squishy, air filmed diadem. It was working! Varon turned his attention away from the show and simply gazed into Mai's continually brightening violet eyes, the performance reflected in her glistening irises.

He saw her mouth open in awe as the gymnasts twisted and twirled along the along the tight rope high above them. A clown dove underneath the flames of a one of the fire eater's rods and hoped atop a much too small tricycle, peddling around energetically and honking his squeaky little horn.

Mai's face morphed from depressed brooding to delighted enrapturement. She leaned closer to the center ring, drinking in the visions that flashed before her eyes. The edges of her mouth twitched. "Yes…" Varon murmured, shooting closer to her. "Come on smil-" but he was cut short as her expression fell and the performers rolled, danced and glided away.

"That concludes this afternoon's performance! Please return for our sunset show!" the announcer's voice boomed. "Good Day to you all and enjoy the rest of your time at Carry's Carnival!"

"Damn it!" Varon cursed under his breath as Mai's previously almost cheerful air drifted away.

"Let's go." He looked up, shocked to see that Mai had spoken to him. Her voice was soft and shallow, violet eyes downcast. It was the first thing she'd said to him since he'd found her in the street that stormy night. Varon was determined to hear more.

As he took the blonde's hand that hung limply at her side, Varon suddenly had an idea. "Come on." He whispered, pulling her by the wrist and slipping quietly into the back flap the carnies had exited through.

The tent beyond was dark and silent, what little light that did filter through the canopy above dimly illuminated the colorful costumes and props strung up on racks or leaned casually against the fabric walls.

"Varon! I don't think we're supposed to be here!" Mai hissed, dragging him down into a crouch and sinking into the safety of his back. He was getting her to talk. Varon smiled.

"Come on Mai! I know you're curious!" he whispered back, tugging gentling on her wrist and leading her over to a corner he'd spotted immediately upon entry. The Australian shifted curiously through the jumbled pile of metal, Mai glancing anxiously over her shoulder every five seconds, and finally retrieving the object of his search.

"Ah ha!" he exclaimed, wrenching the unicycle from the mound and showing it to Mai who, despite her nerves, was obviously curious.

"What are you doing?!" the whispered as he slipped his hand out of her own, spun the single wheel of the unicycle with the tip of his finger, placed it on the ground, then hoped on.

"What's it look like?!" he laughed, completely forgoing stealth as he peddled the little vehicle slowly, wobbling dangerous.

"You're going to fall!" Mai moaned, clutching at the ends of her hair. "Get down and let's get out of here!"

The brunet simply chuckled, quickening his pace as his body finally found the strange rhythm of the machine. "Try it Mai! It's really quite Ah!" In his arrogance, Varon had gone a bit too quickly, the singular wheel had wobbled beneath him, throwing him from its seat and directly on top of his companion.

With a loud crash both teens toppled to the ground, Mai pinned beneath Varon's bulk. "Oh god Mai I'm so sorry! I-" Varon stopped as he realized his companion's reaction. Mai wasn't angry or hurt, quite the contrary, she was _laughing_! Soft and light and clear, a vibrant smile splitting her face, sunken cheeks suddenly filling with a warm rosy glow.

And Varon joined her. Rolling off of the girl's shaking body, the two teens howled until their ribcages panged. "You looked so stupid!" Mai gasped between fits of giggles.

"Yeah I did!' the Australian guffawed, gazing deeply into Mai's, for once, mirthful eyes. She was so much more beautiful when she smiled. Unconsciously, the brunet lifted a hand and placed it gently upon the girl's cheek, causes them to flush even deeper.

Both were brought out of their revelry as a hoarse voice from behind shouted "What are you kids doing in here?!"

"Run!" Mai giggled as a rather rotund man in greasy white tank top blundered into the area behind them. The two took off, hand in hand, pushing their way through the sweaty masses of people, past the irritating girl at the ticket window, out into the rows of parked cars.

Varon jumped onto his motorcycle with Mai leaping on behind and clinging to his waist. The brown eyed boy turned the key and the bike revved into life. They shot backwards out from between the two SUV's and sped away down the dir t path, their laugher somehow louder than the obnoxious engine.

Varon whipped tears of laughter from his eyes, feeling Mai's head rest lightly against his shoulder.

"Thank you." He could only faintly hear the words over the roar of the machine, but he did hear them. "For what?" the brunet inquired.

"Everything." Mai whispered, and Varon smiled, kicking his bike and accelerating down he road.

* * *

A/N: Eehh…I don't know…/shrugs/ Oh well…this will have to do. Hope you liked it. Please R&R.


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